Odd Dog Out


Written by Rob Biddulph

For ages 3 to 7

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This book is best for:
  • differences
  • similarities

Review

Odd Dog Out follows a dachshund that just doesn’t quite fit in with all the other dachshunds in her city. All she wants to do is fit in, so she goes on a very long journey to find a place where she will be just like everyone else. After months of walking, she finally discovers the place she’s been looking for. But, she soon realises that being who you are is the best way to be.

This delightful story teaches readers to embrace their own individual differences and be happy with who they are. The bouncy rhyming text in this story makes it a fun read. Children love exploring the colourful and engaging illustrations, labelling common objects and spotting the differences between the pictures. This book is a great choice for targeting the concepts of ‘same’ and ‘different’.

For further speech and language targets, see the list below.


Book Details

Narrative Structure: Abbreviated Episode

Story Plot: Rags To Riches ; Wishing Tale

Themes:
  • animals - pets
  • clothing
  • places - city
  • occupations
  • transport
  • individuality

Speech and Language Targets

Speech Sounds:
  • /d/ - dog, different, day, odd,
  • /g/ - goodbye, dog, wag
  • /s/ - sailor, soldier, summer
  • /s/ blends - swimmer, scout, spring, smile
Grammar:
  • conjunctions (but)
  • modals (can)
  • negatives
  • objective pronouns (me)
  • subjective pronouns (I, they)
  • third person singular
  • action verbs (kick, throw, dance, walk, fly)
  • mental verbs (love)
Semantics:
  • matching
  • labelling
  • describing
  • differences / similarities
Concepts:
  • descriptive concepts (different, deep/shallow, tall/short)
  • quantity concepts (all, except)
  • temporal concepts (day/night, afternoon)
Social-Emotional:
  • emotions
  • greeting / farewell
  • individuality
Narrative:
  • feelings
  • moral
  • dialogue
  • direct character speech
Rhyme & Sound Awareness:
  • rhyme
Book Info

Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2016 (ISBN: 9780007594153)

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